Apparatus for the production of gaseous fuel.



APPARATUS FOR A. W. SOUTHEY.

THE PRODUCTION OF GASBOUS FUEL.

APPLICATION FILED DEC 6, 1913 Patented Dec. 15, 1914 2 SHBETSSHBET I.

A. W. SOUTHEY.

APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF GASBOUS FUEL.

APPLICATION FILED D1306, 1913.

1,120,857. Patented Dec. 15,1914.

2 SHEETBSHEET 2.

v v /I,| I 3% UNITED STATES PATENT 0mm animal:v w. scanner, or: snowman, Lennon, ENG-LAND.-

nrrmurrrs ron m rnonuc'rxon or GASEOUS FUEL.

01mm application fled; November 12,

To all whom it may concern -Bo it known that I, ALFRED WILLIAM Son'rrimr, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Cherry House, Hale Lane, Edgware, London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Apparatus for the Production of Gaseous Fuel, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for the production of gaseous fuel from liquid hydrocarbons for motive power purposes, wherein the fuel is ignited in a chamber to which air is admitted at approximately atmospheric pressure, and is a division of an application heretofore filed by me, which application is serially numbered 730,969, and f led November 12, 1912.

According to the present invention I prevent excessive combustion by supplying the liquid fuel to the chamber in the form of a spray of finely atomized oil, by means of which a large excess of oil or vapor is assured, so that when combustion occurs, it occurs in the presence of a substantial excess of oil, which has the efl'ectof limiting the extent of the flame of combustion and keeping the metal surfaces in the generator comparatively cool. The combustion is further effected by a highly concentrated flame so as to obtain as high a temperature as possible, while at the same time the damping effect of the excess of oil prevents an over combustion of the gas which would produce an excess of burnt gas.

In addition the amount of air drawn into the apparatus is regulated by the suction of the engine alone, and the liquid fuel being always largely in excess, and in a finely atomized state, there is continuously formed the amount. of fixed gas or gaseous fuel required by the engine. The excess of liquid fuel may be collected in the bottom of the chamber, whence it can be drawn 03 by the pump or other means which produces the spray. As the combustion is to be regulated by the amount of air drawn in by the suction of the engine, I prefer to atomize the liquid fuel by means of a mechanical spraying nozzle and thereby avoid using an air or steam blast, as the use of either of these would interfere with the proper regulation of combustion within the chamber.

The present invention accordingly consistsin a novel construction of apparatus in Specificationof Letters I'atent,

Patented Dec. 15,1914;

1912,8cria1 No. 780,999. Divided and this application med. W 6, 1913. Serial K0. 806,048.

which excessive combustion is prevented by the liquid fuel being supplied in the form of a spray in sufficient quantity to insurethe combustion taking place in the presence of a substantial excess of oiL The invention further-consists in anap paratus in which the supply of air is regulated by the suction of the, engine to form the combustible mixture with the atomized or vaporized fuel, in which mixture the atomized fuel is substantially in excess. And the invention also consists in the combination of features of the improved apparatus described below.

The accompanying drawings, by way of example, show in Figure- 1, a diagrammatic view of a gaseous fuel generator for an internal combustion engine with fuel supto an oil reservoir 61. Connected to the passage b is a duct 0 leading to a circulating pump f driven by the engine, which pump s connected by a pipe 9 to a spray nozzle h m the upper portion of the producer. A short passage i connects the float chamber to the duct 6. The upper ortion of the generator comprises a dom cover j having one or more air inlets k in itsv lower edge. \Vrthin this cover is 'a concentrically disposed bell [into the upper portion of which the spray nozzle It opens. The lower eripheries of the cover j and the hell I are ut a little distance apart leaving-only a small annular passage into the generator trough for air introduced by the inlets k. Concentrically within the bell is a coned bafile m on to which the center of the fuel s ray is directed and the outer edge of W ich is lower than the edge oi the bell l, the peripheries of the bpll' and the bafile fiormlngbetween them 'an annular opening for the spray or vapor produced within the bell to pass, which opening is below the first annular opening referred to. The lower edge of the battle is some short distance above the liquidlevel maintained in the tropg-h by the float. Within the baflle the gas uct n projects above the level of the fuel in the trough.

Referring to the details of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2, the ballle m may conveniently be carried upon arms 0 fromthe base of the educt pipe n. For starting, a pilot flameis obtained from a wick (1, which is carried in a box 9 on the side of the pro ducer, and is fed with oil from the troughra. The flame is drawn in through the hole 1' when theengine is started. The nozzle h is one of known construction, having two channels such as t, oppositely directed, for producing two line jets of oil which impinge on the surrounding sleeve and are atomized. I have found it of advantage for facilitat ing the smooth operation of the pump which circulates the liquid, and for preventing it from knocking, to admit a minute quantity of air into the duct e, by means of a small pipe it having at the top a hole about in diameter and extending downward below the opening 12 where the oil can flow from the float feed 0 to the duct 6. This air has no material effect upon the spray. The ump may be a diaphragmpump worked rom the tappet of the engine.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: On the engine bein started, the pump commences to deliver oil through the spraying nozzle h, and air is drawn in through the inlets la. The wick p (Fig. 2) is lighted and the flame drawn in through the opening 7; this ignites the atomized fuel with which the chamber is filled, and combustion and fixation proceed, the air entering through the ports It" to the extent required and regulated by the suction of the engine and mixing with the excess of atomized fuel from the nozzle It. The flame of combustion is mainly concentrated around the lower edge ofthe ballle '51, and is limited in extent by the small volume of air admitted relatively to the fuel and the fixed gas, vapor and products of combustion pass away to the engine by the educt n. The free supply of oil through the nozzle h keepsthe battle on and the interior of the chambers 7' and Z comparatively cool. The oil as consumed is made up by thc'floa-t fsed from the tank d.

What I claim as my mention is 1. An apparatus for producing from liquid fuel a gaseous fuel for use with internal combustion engines, comprising an external combustion chamber, a second and smaller chamber within the external chamber and at the lower part thereof, a spraying device opening in the upper end of the outer chamher for supplying liquid fuel thereinto in a finely divided state and without mixture of air, valved inlets in the lower portion of the outer chamber through which air is drawn by suction into said chamber below the fuel spraying device and'burned, an outlet from i the second chamber leading to the engine cylinders, and a substantially cone-shaped top for said inner chamber overlying the outlet and protecting the same from the entrance thereinto of liquid fuel.

2. In an apparatus for roducing a gaseous fuel from liquid fuel fbr use in internal combustion engines, the combination with a combustion chamber, of a nozzle for spraying the liquid fuel into said chamber substantially. free of air and in excess of the requirements to limit the excess of combus.

, ternal combustion engines, the combination with a. combustion chamber having a cover, valved inlets in said cover through which air at normal pressure is drawn by the suction of the engine into said combustion chamber, a bell-shaped member secured to said cover and spaced a short distance therefrom at its free edge to provide an annular passage for producing a the incoming air, an outlet for gaseous fuel leading from the combustion chamber, a baffie above and around said outlet beneath which said gaseous fuel passes to said outlet, and a nozzle extending through said:

cover and the, bell through which liquid fuel substantially freeof air is sprayed into the combustion chamber and upon said balile to equally distribute the fuel and cause it to mix with and be partly vaporized by the entering air.

A. W. SOUTHEY Witnesses i J osurn WILLIAM THOMPSON, JAMES GEORGE GAUNT. 

